haha no offense admin, i value your opinion. for example i've read a book on kitchen equipment before (i like to cook), and instead of telling you what to buy, they tell you what to look for in a piece of equipment.

What features to look for in a hobby robot camera would be good place to start.

Pros and cons of each camera would be helpful

etc, etc..

If I'm going to be dropping $100-$300 on a camera, I want to know I picked the right one for me!

My advice is the same for all robot parts - make sure documentation and customer support are high. A support community can help you when you're stuck.

Make sure voltage and current requirements are ok for you.

You also want the ability to upload *processed* images from the camera onto your PC for easy debugging.

The maximum frame rate is also important. For example, you need about 40 frames/second for a robot to see a ball being thrown (to catch it and throw it back). For my ERP line following, about 5 frames per second is good enough . . .

The lens focal length, view angle, etc is dependent on what your robot needs to see. Often you can buy multiple lenses.

And of course, the ability to easily mount the camera on your robot (the original CMUcam is a pain to mount).